A series of cold fronts made landfall in the western parts of South Africa in June and brought widespread flooding to Cape Town. Photo: Twitter / @SAWeatherServic / @eumetsat
Western Cape cold front: Rain warning issued – flooding possible
A cold front is expected to bring heavy downpours to the Western Cape on Wednesday. The weather service said flooding and disruption of services are possible.
A series of cold fronts made landfall in the western parts of South Africa in June and brought widespread flooding to Cape Town. Photo: Twitter / @SAWeatherServic / @eumetsat
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for rain in the Western Cape on Tuesday, 16 August.
WESTERN CAPE WEATHER WARNING
The warning is effective from 9:00 on Wednesday, 17 August until midnight on the same day. The rain will be brought by a cold front that is expected to make landfall over the Western and Northern Cape on the day.
“This will result in rain over the Western and Northern Cape on Wednesday and Thursday, with rainfall accumulation between 15 to 20 millimetres,” said the weather service.
Elsewhere, 40 to 50 millimetres of rainfall accumulation can be expected over the southwestern parts of the Western Cape from Wednesday afternoon into the evening.
The affected municipalities include the City of Cape Town, Cape Winelands, Overberg, Swartland, Drakenstein, Stellenbosch, Overstrand, Cape Agulhas, Swellendam, Langeberg, Breed Valley, Theewaterskloof and Witzenberg.
The potential impacts of the rain in the Western Cape include:
- Heavy downpours could lead to flooding of roads and formal and informal settlements.
- Localised and short-term interruption of essential services such as water and electricity are a possibility.
- Localised disruption of traffic is likely with a heightened risk of motor vehicle accidents.
- Localised mudslides and rockfalls may also occur in susceptible areas.
More than 100mm of rainfall fell in several parts of the City of Cape Town when a series of cold fronts hit the Western Cape in June 2022.
READ MORE: Cape Town cold front: More than 100mm of rain fell in these areas
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